Catholics mark Easter Sunday in NCR Plus quietly

The government may have banned religious gatherings in NCR Plus amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) but Catholics have found ways to celebrate Easter Sunday quietly.

At Baclaran Church in Parañaque City, some faithful devotees were seen praying quietly in front of the church gate on Sunday morning, according to a 24 Oras News Alert.

No one was allowed inside the church.

Police advised the devotees to observe physical distancing, which they heeded, according to a separate report on News TV Live.

Meanwhile, other Catholics watched online Masses from the comfort of their homes.

Churches in the NCR Plus area—Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal—held Masses without parishioners present, streaming the eucharistic activity online instead.

Priests concelebrate the Easter Sunday Mass with lighted candles occupying rows of pews at the St. Peter Parish along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on April 4, 2021. Parishioners are still barred from joining religious gatherings under enhanced community quarantine amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.  Danny Pata

At Quiapo Church, security was tight.

Vendors around the church were advised to leave the area, according to a News TV Live report.

Pope Francis is expected to give his Orbi et Urbi message live from the Vatican on Sunday afternoon (PHL time). 

The week-long ECQ imposed over NCR Plus was supposed to end on Easter Sunday, April 4. However, the government extended it by another week until April 11 due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. —KG, GMA News